Steel fence-post.



- PATENTED APR.11 ,1905'.vv H- F- J. SIEVERKROPP. I I

STEEL FENCE POST;

v APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. I901.

Patented April 11, 1905.

HENRYF. J. SIEVERKROPP, OF HOOD RIVER, OREGON.

STEEL FENCE-POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 786,850, dated April 11, 1905.

' Application filed May 3, 1901 Serial No. 58,612.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. J. SIEVER KROIP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hood River, in the county of Wasco, State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steel Fence-Posts; and 1.do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exaotdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fence-posts, and more particularly to the class of steel posts;

and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and efficient construction of post and from which the strand-Wires may not be displaced.

A further object of the invention is to so form the wire-holding notches in the post that the retaining-tongues therefor may be readily bent into and out of operative positions and yet when in their operative positions will never be subject, to such strains from the wires as will bend them to their inoperative positions to release the wires.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing a complete post withcwires engaged therewith. Fig. 2 is a view showing a front edge of the post with the retaining-tongues in their operative positions. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and showing the retaining-tongues bent to their inoperative positions.

Referring now to the drawings, the post consists of a single sheet 5 of steel or other suitable metal, the body portion of which is slightly tapered upwardly and the lower end of which is tapered downwardly to form a point to permit of driving the post. The sheet of metal of which the post is formed is bent on the line of its longitudinal'axis to form two Wings 6 and 7, which lie at an'angle to each other, and in the front edges 8 and 9 of these wings areformed the wire-receiving notches or recesses. Each wire receiving notch includes a perforation 10, formed transversely through the wing and slightly distant from the edge thereof, and intersecting this perforation is made a cut 11, which 'is tangent to the periphery of the perforation and lies at an acute angle to the edge of the wing, this cut ranging rearwardly and upwardly of the wing, as illustrated. This cut results in the formation of a short rigid stop 12 at the upper side of the cut, comprising a depend ingprojection in front of each opening or perforation 10, adjacent projections on the two wings being integral and at an angle to each other and merging to a common point. A long flexible finger 13 is formed at the lower side of the cut and comprises twoupwardlyextending tongues integral with and at an angle to each other and having their ends separated or spaced apart, the finger 13 lying with its upper slanting faces 11 normally against and behind the slanting adjacent faces of the stop, so that it is impossible to bend the tongue 13 outwardly. When the post is ready for delivery from the factory, the fingers 13 are all bent laterally from behind the stops, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, when by slightly bending the fence-Wire it may be moved through a cut and into the perforation in the rear thereof. The finger 13 is then bent laterally to engage behind the stop, and the wire is held securely in its place. It will be noted that to remove the wire it is first necessary to bend the finger 13-laterally, so that the outward strains to which the wire is subjected have no effect whatever to move the tongue, but, instead, act only to force it tightly against the stop. This action, it will be noted, is secured by forming the flexible member of the retainer so as to lie behind the stop instead of in front of it. Furthermore, it will be noted that the wires are held loosely in the perforations, so that they may be tightened or relaxed as desired, and by the specific formation of the body of the post with the two wings lying at an angle no lateral pressure can be given to the wire close to both sides of a wing such as could by any possibility bend the finger 13 from its holding position.

.What is claimed is A fence-post comprisinga pair of wings arranged at an angle to and integral with each other and provided with wire-openings horizontally alined in pairs; a stop for each pair with the other and adapted for engagement 1 of alined openings comprising a pair of debehind one of the depending projections. pending projections, one in front of each In testimony whereof I hereunto sign my opening at an angle to and integral With the name, in the presence of two subscribing wit- 5 other and both merging to a common point; nesses, on this 18th day of February, 1901.

and a flexible finger for each pair of open- HENRY F. J. SIEVERKROPP. ings comprising a pair of upwardly-extend- Witnesses: ing tongues spaced apart at their ends and H. L. HOWE,

each one being at an angle to and integral A. J. GRAHAM. 

